Frantic Assembly

Frantic - distraught with fear, anxiety or other emotion

Slide 1:
What is Frantic Assembly?
-A thrilling theatre
-They are a physical theatre company, combining movement and acting to create dramatic
pieces
-It is different in the way that it involves dance, design and movement; other elements that
would not be as common as other theatre companies
-It can be described as energetic, and unforgettable, vivid, dynamic
-Contemporary theatre
What do they produce?
-Effective and engaging pieces of theatre through creating meaning to every moment in a
scene
-Use all elements of arts and technology
-For instance: light to bewilder audience, physical theatre and text used to experiment the
audiences reactions
-Waver along a line in between physical theatre and verbal theatre
Style
-Use the concept experimental theatre
-Base their works around a more contemporary eld
-Has a unique style combining:
design, movement, music and text
Who does Frantic Assembly attract?
-Young audiences who reect this contemporary theatre
-Has built a reputation of being the most exciting companies
Slide 1:
Who leads Frantic Assembly?
-Artistic Director Scott Graham who founded the company with Steven Hoggett and Vicki
Middleton in 1994
-He continues to collaborate with inspiring artists
Their intentions
our boundless enthusiasm did not disguise the fact that we had very little clue about
taking our work to the next, professional level. Our saving grace was recognizing this at an
early stage. Everything from this point was approached with a level head, acknowledging
that we were starting from the bottom of the pile.
--Needed each other for validation and inspiration as a company of 2
-2 English literature graduates from a university without a drama department
-no right to be setting out on this theatrical ambition
-Without team they would not be where they are today
Natali Dare Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 9:20:17 PM Hong Kong Standard Time
-Were feeling their way but realized that lack of experience and theatre training could be
liberating
-knew nothing of practitioners but meant they were free to try things out
-veered away from a classical line or when deciding upon their approach they could
suddenly contradict themselves - it was a gut instinct
-Performed with the desire to do something different
-Inspired by Volcano Theatre Company and DV8 lms - some of their ndings and initial
work was cliched
-Volcano Theatre Company: they are also very much contemporary, and questioned
conventional assumptions of what theatre should be
-DV8 lms: DV8 is a physical dance company based in London whose aim is to
incorporate dancers with disabilities into their pieces, and really diversify their
performances, all whilst communicating ideas that are communicating ideas and feelings
clearly and unpretentiously
-Desperate to channel new raw energy and emulate the visceral quality of both companies
-Were passionate but did not know how to encounter a new professional level
-Knew they were starting form the bottom of the pile
-Attended business courses and enrolled in the Governments Enterprise Allowance
Scheme
-Applied it to the scheme after setting up a new business
-Born and registered as a limited company in Swansea, Wales (where everyone had met
in university)
-Company had 3 founding directors - government paid them 30 pounds a week, and
company paid them 10 pounds a week
-Had interest in devising new work but they needed something extra if they were to entice
venues throughout Wales and invest in an unheard of company
-Needed to nd and demonstrate their selling point - what made their company unique?
-Needed something that buyers would feel safe spending their money on
-Brand name like frantic would hide the fact that they were essentially amateurs
NEXT SLIDE!
-Started performing in very conservative theatres, presenting unauthorized radical
reworking of a very known play
-Did not want to alienate their audiences and the theatres
risk
Their rst step was needing performers:
-Could somehow convince talented practitioners that their capacity, passion and vision
was potential enough
-Needed performers: worked with Korina Biggs who shared enthusiasm for physical
theatre
-Ended up working in their theatre companies afterwards
-Recruited Claire Evetts to make up more actors that would be used in dont look back in
anger
Natali Dare Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 9:20:17 PM Hong Kong Standard Time
-Finances were improving and they were hiring new performers that were now being
auditioned and paid but there were still many familiar faces, so they stayed together the
whole way through
Their rst play:
-Chose a highly acclaimed text: Look Back in Anger by John Osborne
choice of play was pragmatic
believed in the play because it had done a disservice by time and theatre
establishment
full of post war angst of the educated working class; sold the dream of a brave new
world only to nd it already carved up by the ruling classes
as working class kids, play spoke to them in a way that was hard to describe
we were staying true to the heart of the play although they changed a few things
felt that contemporary society was not all that different from the one in this story
Where have they toured?
-Extensively throughout the UK
-Collaborated with 30 countries across the world
-Performs in a variety of different settings: schools, colleges and higher education
-They have built a reputation as one of the most exciting companies in the country: the
company has performed, created, and collaborated in 30 different countries across the
world
-They have managed to draw in masses of attention through their striking performances
Creative Collaboration
-Provided movement direction for the National Theatres the curious incident of the dog in
the night-time
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett have been nominated for best theatre
choreographers in the 2013 oliver awards
NEXT SLIDE
Artistic Process
Use of Contemporary Music
-Use contemporary music because it is what inspires them
-Massive music fans and ideas come from music
-Very eclectic music collections and use whatever excites them
Contemporary
-Make works that reects topics that people are currently taking about and interests them
-Inspired by the people and world around them
How is Design integrated into the creative process of your pieces?
-Observe political character work
-Comment on movement ideas
-Collaborative process
-Watching performers and getting a feel will offer kinds of choreographic and theatrical
inspiration
-Skill and imagination could take what we could only dream about and make them real
Exercises:
-Chair Duets
Natali Dare Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 9:20:17 PM Hong Kong Standard Time
-You sit next to a partner, and begin a type of contact improvisation, but you stay
seated.
-Use your instincts to create a genuine response
-Your partner will be able to see how you go about doing something, which could be
different to them making it a learning experience
-Together you create a story-line through adapting a particular move with a set of
emotions or daily task
-They can create something that is conceptually meaningful in their scene
-It is all about collaboration
-The actors nd their own stimulus, and develop it with the help of a writer - it is not an
individual process
-Both the writer and the one who came up with the idea work together to create an efcient
piece/script
-What is so essential about this task is to go with instincts and create a genuine response
-They build off this one movement and create a scene
-Frantic assembly does physical exercises in the rehearsal room to explore meaning
through physical choices:
-How can an actors physical choices make sense of spoken words?
-Skills can be safely explored and developed through trust, allowing for complex
movement schemes and sequences to be more than just shapes on stage, but shapes
that create a living story
Training Program:
-Operates a learn and train program introducing 6000 participants a year in a variety of
settings
-In 2013, 5560 participants took part in Frantic Assembly workshops in schools, colleges,
universities and arts organizations during an exceptional year of activity
-Frantic Assembly practitioners travelled all around Europe: Scotland, Wales, Ireland,
Ireland, Italy, Switzerland
-The workshop surpassed my expectations. Engaging, active, inspiring and a positive
atmosphere was created to ensure that every student felt able to participate.
-The pace and structure was outstanding and the students learnt a huge amount. I have
had the pleasure of seeing many companies deliver workshops over the years, but this
one is absolutely wonderful and stands out by a mile
NEXT SLIDE
Ignition
-An expressive arts has become so popular with the youth
-Ignition has become a UK-wide project targeted at young men to become involved in the
arts
-It draws in 600 men annually for training
NEXT SLIDE
-This is surely because we make work that reects topics we are currently talking about,
and are of interest to us. As we are inspired by the people and the world around us it is no
surprise that the work is contemporary. - Frantic assembly Resource pack
It is evident that Frantic assembly chose adheres to contemporary more than anything
else. They thrive on inspiration, and current ndings. They tend to neglect the pass unless
they are in need of references for their play.
Natali Dare Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 9:20:17 PM Hong Kong Standard Time
Example: Idea for Stockholm came from one of the members witnessing an argument
-It was a powerful stimulus to them because it helped develop their minds to think about
Stockholm Syndrome. The idea was based off of a current concept that was of interest to
one of the members.
-They linked Stockholm to the event of the Stockholm hostage situation and later on
Stockholm Syndrome
-This event happened days before the play
Plays:
Examples:
-Look Back In Anger (1994)
-Heavenly (2002)
-Dirty Wonderland (2005)
-Pool (2006)
-Othello (2008)
One of their most famous productions:
-Little Dogs - Explores the coming of age experiences of teenagers on nights out in the
city
Natali Dare Tuesday, 13 May, 2014 9:20:17 PM Hong Kong Standard Time